


Five Times The “Tennessee” Line Was Used, and the One Time It Worked

by poetrics



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, M/M, a fic about an English pickup line getting lost in translation, don't expect anything serious, these teenage boys are the dumbest, this is my first volleyball fic and i am so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 18:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2280984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetrics/pseuds/poetrics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or,<br/>No One in Japan Knows What Tennessee Is, Apparently</p><p>Kageyama asks for help with confessing to Hinata.  It all goes downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times The “Tennessee” Line Was Used, and the One Time It Worked

**Author's Note:**

> nice to meet you, haikyuu!! fandom  
> this fic is all alyson's fault

“Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see.”

 

/|####|\

 

They take the third set.

In the midst of screams (Tanaka and Nishinoya, mostly) and fist pumps, Kageyama stalks over to Hinata, hands clenched, and mumbles something that Hinata is 97% sure is not actually Japanese. Grin blinding, he asks, “What was that?”

Face turning an alarming shade of purple, Kageyama repeats himself, albeit in the correct language this time.

“But... there's a #10 right over there.” Hinata points helpfully. “And what's a teneshii? Is it a food?”

Kageyama doesn't actually know what a Tennessee is, and this attempt to confess his feelings is going terribly, terribly wrong. “You're an idiot,” he says, as if this will ameliorate the situation.

“And you're a jerk! We just won and you come over here chanting a foreign language like a curse-”

“I was hitting on you!”

There's a stunned silence, and something hopeful and also very nervous in Kageyama's gut suggests that he might have finally gotten through to the short spiker.

“... are you trying to get back at me for hitting you in the back of the head?”

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are snickering nearby, and with a furious glare in their direction Kageyama resolves never, ever to attempt to flirt ever again.

 

/|####|\

 

They're supposed to be cleaning up the gym, but as per their usual, the two are taking a few free shots first.

(Meaning Nishinoya is goading Asahi, “spike it somewhere I can't save it, and then we'll clean up!!”, and is getting to every damn ball. He'll have bruises to show for it later, but then, he always does.)

As Asahi sets up for another serve, Noya shouts something in English his way. There's enough nuance to it that he pauses, cocking his head.

“It's a pun in English!” the libero continues, boisterous energy filling the space between them. “It means I'm flirting with you!”

There's a pause. More than a pause, really, Asahi is just standing there, holding the ball. Nishinoya starts to get concerned. “Asahi-san?” The ace doesn't move. It's not until the shorter boy is right in front of him that the gentle giant snaps out of it.

“W-we should really start cleaning up!”

He doesn't get anything else out of him for the rest of the afternoon (except for his stammered “See you tomorrow!” as he leaves), but still. There's a bounce in Nishinoya's step as he walks home.

The furious blush dusting the ace's cheeks would have been hard to miss.

 

/|####|\

 

“SHIMUZU-SENPAI!!” Tanaka's shirt is already off, whirling in the air. He repeats the English words Noya-san had taught him to the best of his ability. “YOU ARE FROM TENNESSSEE. YOU ARE ONLY TEN I SEE.”

She doesn't even glance his way. Ecstatic tears fill his eyes and he spins to give Noya-san a thumbs up that is immediately returned.

A beautiful failure, yet again. He's so happy.

 

/|####|\

 

“you're a tennessee!”

Kenma has been staring at this text for the past four, no, five minutes. He doesn't completely understand Karasuno's orange-haired ball of energy in the first place, and this? This is out of his grasp. He licks his lips contemplatively.

What does it _mean_.

 

Many miles away, Hinata has no idea what's happening.

He's lying on his stomach on his bed staring at his phone because the typing bubble is just. Sitting there. And has been for the past three minutes! Is Kenma writing a lengthy rejection? Is he offended? Is he- a bright flush creeps up Hinata's face- is he typing some poetic novel of a reply?

The bubble disappears, then is replaced by the setter's text.

“thanks”

Hinata buries his face in his comforter with a wail.

 

/|####|\

 

Sometimes Oikawa looks at him, and Iwaizumi just _knows_ that the next words out of his mouth are going to be unbelievably stupid. More so than usual.

“Iwa-chaaaan,” the setter drawls, and Iwaizumi braces himself. “Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only-”

He's interrupted with a volleyball to the face. Having successfully halted the flow of stupidity, Iwaizumi huffs and returns his attention to stretching.

 _Obviously_ he's a ten.

 

/|####|\

 

They're walking away from the gym shoulder-to-shoulder, having finally locked up for the night, when Daichi raises an eyebrow at his companion. “Are you responsible for the sudden popularity of that English pick up line?”

Sugawara has innocence written all over his features, but Daichi _knows_ him. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

The captain barks a laugh. “Who did you tell, anyways?”

“Kageyama came to me for advice, believe it or not,” Sugawara says. “He said, and I quote, 'you two seem to have figured it out,' and after a great deal of stumbling around the issue asked for help with his confession to Hinata.”

Daichi stops, unbelieving. “And you sent him on his way with the Tennessee line? Wow. That's cruel.”

“I honestly didn't know if he'd go through with it.” His eyes are alight with mischief nonetheless. “They'll be fine. They'll figure it out. Besides, that line _has_ worked before.”

 

_They're in the midst of a cram session for their next English test when Daichi slams his book shut. At the gently inquiring glance, he blurts out, “I have something that I learned in English.”_

“ _Yes?”_

_Somehow he manages to get the two sentences out of his mouth without swallowing his tongue, and Sugawara's eyebrows knit together for a moment before his face clears in realization and he smiles. He's beautiful. Daichi is so, so smitten, and nearly doesn't register the next words out of Sugawara's mouth._

“ _Do you want to go on a date?”_

 

Daichi chuckles and laces their fingers together. “That it has.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> deposit me in the trash where i belong


End file.
